EMERGENCY PROCEDURES
School emergency procedures are consistent with the Vancouver Board of Education policies and guidelines and are reviewed regularly with staff and with students.

MEDICAL EMERGENCIES

• Students should come to the office for medical attention. We always have a first-aid attendant on site.
• Please ensure the office is made aware of any specific medical needs your child may have (e.g. allergies).
• Sir Wilfred Laurier is a nut allergy aware school. While we cannot prevent or eliminate allergens in the school, we remind everyone that we have students and staff in the school who have severe allergies to certain foods, especially peanuts, peanut butter and other nut products. We encourage families to take this into account when bringing snacks and foods into the school.

EVACUATIONS

• In case of an emergency requiring evacuation, staff and students are trained to assemble on the gravel field. Visitors to the school should assemble beside the command post.
• Fire drills are held regularly.
• Earthquake drills are held as well. The school has equipment and provisions to adequately care for children until their parents can pick them up. In such an emergency, parents are directed to carefully follow the instructions of staff so we can ensure the proper accounting and safe dismissal of children to their parents or emergency designates.
• In case of a real emergency, we can anticipate that children and parents both will be worried about their family members’ health and safety. The school has specific student release procedures in place to ensure that families are re-united as quickly and safely as possible, and to ensure accountability and tracking of each student’s safe release.

To this end, we must ask for parents' cooperation during a real emergency:

• Students and parents will likely be quite excited and anxious to be together. Parents MUST follow the directions of school staff.
• Parents arriving to pick up their child(ren) should go onto the field to their child’s class(es) where the children’s teacher will release the child to you. Please DO NOT simply take your child with you without reporting to the teacher first. Please explain to your child that, even if they see you, they are not to run to you—you’ll be reunited soon enough.
• Please ensure you keep your “emergency contact” information current. This includes people who have your permission to take your child in the case of an emergency.

Other:

• Staff and students also rehearse what to do in the unlikely event of a dangerous intruder either on the school grounds (“Code Yellow”) or within the school (“Code Red”). During a "Code Red", we lockdown the school: A “Code Red” is announced over the school PA system in the unlikely event that there is a dangerous intruder in the school. All students gather in their classroom (or closest room), lock the doors, turn out the lights and remain quietly with their teacher until they are directed that it is safe to come out. 
  • In the unlikely event of a Code Red lockdown, we will be turning off and collecting cell phones from students, as using them at such a time poses potential additional risks: We do not want phones to sound at times when quiet is essential. Additionally, texting, tweeting, etc. risks sending out inaccurate information that could hamper police efforts to resolve the incident. Parents are asked not to attempt to contact the school or their children directly.